Lumber drier



INVENTOR ATTORNEY I mg 4 Sheefs-Sheet' 1 ZZfIfivc/za (Lib 96,6 I

J. E. KOCHA LUMBER DRIER Filed Nov. 0, 1925 Feb. 7, 1928.

- Feb. 7, 1928.

J. E. KOCHA LUMBER DRIER a w. M

ATTORNEY J. E. KOCHA Feb. 7, 1928.

LUMBER DRIER Filed Nov. 0, 1925 4 Sheets-$heet 4 lru f ATTORNEY JXWM .i atenteel "2', i928.

dosnrn nnwrn KOCHA, or Linnea, new JERSEY.

LUMBER Damn.

Application filed November This invention relates to an apparatus for drying ln nber, the general object of the invention being to provide means whereby green luinber can be quickly dried ready for the market so that it need not be piled and allowed o dry by natural process.

.Lrnotl object of the invention is to cause the luinhcr to take a circuitous path through a drying chainber so that the lumber will be a subjected to the drying action for the inaniinuin amount of time without coming to rest in the chamber. I

A further object of the invention is to provide means for causing heated air to circulate through the drying chamber, with means for additionally heating the air ly heating-means within the chamber.

A further object of the invention isto subject the lumber just entering the chamber to the action ofstcain to facilitate its drying.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts,sto be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended clainis.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like, characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2. i

Figure a is a plan view of portion of a track for a conveyor chain, a portion of the chain being shown.

Figure 5 isa sectional view on line 5-5 of Figure 6.

Figure 6 is a sectional view on line 6--6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 1s a view of one of the heating elements. V

Figure 8 is a section on line 8-6 of Fig ure2. Figure 9 are 8. Figure 10 is a section on line 10 10 of Figure 9.

Figurev 11 stcani valve;

in these views, 1 indicates a housing which is a section on line 9-9 of Figis a sectional view through the forms the drying chamber. This housing is divided into a number of horizontal passages 20, 1525. Serial in. 70,321.

the sprockets. Each chain includes the rollers 7 which are spaced apart by the links of the chain and these rollers are adapted to engage the tracks 8 which are arranged above and below each floor. 1 The drums formed by the sprockets and spacers practically fill up the space between the ends of the floors and their extensions. The tracks are so ar 'anged that the upper stretch of oneconveyor is arranged parallel to and adjacent the lower stretch of the next upper conveyor so that the luniber will pass between the two parallel parts of the conveyors, with the weight of the upper conveyor thereon, and thus the lumber will be held flat and cannot buckle.

Short conveyors 9 engage some of the sprockets on the drums that are placed between the floors and the extensions and these short conveyors pass over small sprockets 10, each set of which is carriedby a; shaft 11 journaled in brackets 12 which are placed adjacent the sprockets which are arrangedin each space which connects a lower passage withan upper passage. These short conveyorst) act to carry the lumber from a higher passage to a lower passage.

The shafts 3 at one end of the housing can ,be adjusted horizontally so as to take up slack in the conveyor chains. The. ends of these shafts are carried by the blocks 13 which slide in the guideways 14 and arcadjusted by the screw shafts 15 which pass through-the nuts 16 fastened to the guideways. Thus by turning these -shafts,jthe blocks can be moved in eitherdirection to loosenor tighten the conveyor chains,

Coilsl'l' are arrangedunder,each set-of tracks, th ese coils being connected to asteain supply by ineansof the inlet pipes 18 and the steam exhaustv through the outlet pipes 19.. (if course, other means for heating the interior ofthe housings can be utilized instead of the steam means.

Hot air is also supplied to the housing through the intakes 9.0 which are connected to a suitable source and this air, after passing along the passages of the housing will he carried from the housing by the exhaust fans 21 and The fan 2:2 can be provided with a controlling valve 23, if desired.

The lumber in the top passage is subjected to the action of steam jets which come from the nozzles 24-, the drawings showing two rows of these nozzles for directing the steam downwardly upon the lumber and a single row 2% for directing the steam upwardly against the lumber. Each row is controlled by a valve 25, the handle 26 of which is ar- -anged in the pathot' the lumber so that the valve will be automatically opened against the action of a spring 27 connected with the handle, by the lumber as the lumber is carried along by the conve ors. As soon as the lumber passes the handle, the spring will [ill conveyor and after return the parts to normalposition and shut oil the supply otsteam. of these steam sprays in the. passage next to the top as shown at 24.. lilaps 28 on the top of the housing and extending down to a point adjacent the top conveyor drums act to holdthe stean'r'in thetop passage and this'steam exhausted by the exhaust fan 29. These flapsmay be adjusted by the handles 30 on the exterior of the casing and the valve 23 can be adjusted by the handle 31. llhermometers 82 are provided for. indieating the temperature within the passages.

The lumber is fed into the top of the housing upon the top conveyor by the conveyor 33 and the front row 01" shafts 3 geared together, as shown at 34.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the lumber fed into the top of the housing by the conveyor 33 will drop upon the top pushing by the front flap will enter the toppassage and be passed along the same by the conveyor. As the lumber strikes the valve handles 26, it will .open the valves so that steam will be jetted upon the hnnber. It will also come in contact with the heated air in said passage.

The lumberlinally strikes the rear 'llap 28 and pushes by thesaine and it will then pass over the roar conveyor drum and all upon the short conveyor 9 which causes the lumber to pass along with the lower reach of the upper conveyor until it is engaged by the upper reach of the nextlower conveyor. The lumber is then carried along the passage next to the top passage by the upper reach I of the second conveyor and the lower reach ol the first conveyor to the end of the second passage, where it is carried by the second short conveyor 9 to the third passage and this action continues until the lumber is discharged through the discharge opening 35. Thus the lumber follows a zigzag passage through thehousing and throughout I may place one i course is subjected to the drying action of the hot air entering the device, this air heingtturther heated by the heating means within the housing. Thus the lumber will be thoroughly dried when it is discharged from the apparatus.

The air and steam laden air can he passed through a heater, such as shown in my application Serial No. 33244, tiled May 55?, 1925, and then passed to the intakes.

The parts may be driven in any desired manner, the drawingsshowing a gear 36 on one of the front shafts 3 for driving the conveyors and the conveyor 33 has a shalt 33 of its upper driving means connected by the chain and sprockets 37 with a shaft 5) of one of the short conveyors l) so that said conveyor 33 will be driven with the other conveyors.

lVith this device. lumber can be quickly drieo as soon as it leavesthe saw and sent to market with the least possible delay and without the handling now necesssary in stat-long lumber in yards to permit it to dry under natural conditions.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the ad 'antages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to he understood that I may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is '1. .r drier ot the class described. comprising a housing, a plurality of horizontal conveyors therein, tracks :l 'or portions of the conveyors for causing parts of the convey ms 0 travel parallel to each other and to the material between them, means for feeding the material upon the upper conveyor, means tlor causing the material to pass from one conveyor to the next conveyor. means for heating the interior oi the housing. means for subjecting the material on the first conveyor to the action of steam. such means including a valve and means For opening the same by the movcn'lent ot the material on the convoy 2. drier ol the class dosoriluul. comprising a housing. conveyor means therein for causing the nuileriul to pass in a zigzag path. from the top of the housing to the bottom thereof. means for passinghot air ll'irough the housing. heating meunswithin lhe housing and means for sublet-lint; the material as it rulers the housing to the artion ol steam. such means including a valve and means for opening the same by the movementot the material on the conveyor and means tor automatically closing the valve after the material has passed it.

In testimony whereof I attix my signature. 

